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Letters to Plymouth-Canton editor

A letter in the opinion page of this paper, March 24, 2016, shows how low Republican politicians are willing to sink to win office in this election year. Term-limited Kurt Heise rakes appointed Plymouth Township Supervisor Shannon Price over the coals. Heise signs his letter as State Representative, 20th district. He fails to mention that he is a candidate for Price's position.

This isn't a state official exposing local misdeeds, it's just one right-winger using his title to get a jump on another right-winger.

Now, I am not a fan of either of these men. Price, as I understand it, is continuing the dysfunction of his predecessor during board meetings. Heise can mark a new milestone attained during his three terms in Lansing.

It was reported this week that more children then ever live in poverty in our state. But the rich got richer. So thank you Rep. Heise.

Maybe a third name will appear on the ballot for the August primary. If not, even though it would be considered heresy by the hard liners, Plymouth Township voters might take a cue from their Canton neighbors and vote for Democrats in November.

James Huddleston

Canton

President chooses nominee

The U..S. Constitution prescribes the President choose a nominee when a vacancy on the Supreme Court occurs. Congress must interview the person and vote yes or no. President Barack Obama nominated Judge M. Garland to replace the late A. Scalia. Extreme Republicans in Congress refuse to fulfill the duty as written in the Constitution. Is democracy alive? This is inexcusable.

Nina Tottenberg, well known female journalist on National Public Radio, interviewed President Obama recently. I recommend reading it or listening to it.

Hannah Provence Donigan

Commerce Township

On the efficacy of words

As the election season heats up, the talk is all on Donald Trump, on divisive words and promises. I have said previously that the world takes too much stock in words, and that actions are worth more than the words that build up to such actions and diction which would condone Mr. Trump’s words.

However, as all things are a balance, words can indeed go too far. In our culture of immediate gratification, normal words are no longer enough for many. “Acceptable” and “adequate” often get wry looks, whereas “love” and “great” are commonplace. What we end up creating—which is fueled by our consuming of mass media and its concentration of talent, good looks and good times — is the feeling that everything must be “hilarious,” “awesome,” “outrageous,” “unbelievable,” etc. We then look at our own, normal lives devoid of these words, and we feel inadequate, unacceptable.

In the age of immediate gratification and subsequent emotional and etymological hysterics, the burden of a top-heavy, immense society can turn us into timid non-players, but life never was and never will be about playing into an immense, global network. No, it is about small communities and daily routine and the people with which you interact; the rest is but misinformation, usually including fear-mongering diplomacy and unabashed individualism.

No, words are important when they reflect our inner disposition to such an extent that our love and good deeds are diminished, and this is where the balance is lost. With excessive fear, individualism, and gratification, we lose the meaning of human life.

This is the year of Mercy, according to the Catholic Church. Let us move away from mass media and political misconceptions of world order and focus on our real, normal lives in community and mercy. Let us define our lives not by the ads that we see, but the discussions that we have. And let us place at the heart of politics love and not economic prosperity or freedom. With what I see, they do not go together with the short-term fixes that our world currently touts.

John H. Carter

Formerly of Milford

Political silver lining

As the saying goes “every cloud has a silver lining”, right now Donald Trump is a cloud hanging over the GOP. One silver lining is the increase in voter turnout he has brought; it is always good for our country when more of us vote but usually bad for Republicans.

If Trump becomes the Republican nominee we can expect a large voter turnout.

Those inspired by the hate speech pushed by the Republican Party, they are the Trump supporters. They may not always vote but they wish to wreak havoc with our government, they will most likely not vote for other Republicans seeking other offices (another silver lining).

Regular Republicans who actually care about the country will either not vote or vote against Trump by voting Democrat no matter how much they dislike it.

Democrats should be out in large numbers and vote for candidates all down the ticket to keep the country moving forward for us all.

Donald Trump is a huge cloud hanging over the Republicans but they must own it because they led the dumbing down of America and you can see from those supporting Trump that they have succeeded.

Party leaders might still make the cloud go away and with it will go “the silver linings”.

Chuck Tindall

Novi

Man up, Governor

I believe the Republican legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder are to blame for the Flint water crisis. We voted down the Emergency Manager Law and within a month a few sentences were changed and money was added to the bill and it became law against the will of the people. Was it legal? Yes. Was it moral? No. Has it improved lives? No.

They shouldn’t blame the EPA because our “Create-a- Bigger- Emergency- Manager” didn’t make sure all the guidelines and procedures were in place before the switch was made. If the EPA had asserted itself, our leaders would have claimed government overreach including the fact that the Republicans have three candidates running for President who want to get rid of the EPA.

Part of the Republican mantra is individual responsibility. It’s time for the governor to “man- up and resign.

Terry Cannon

Livonia

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